Police Union Petitions for Mayor, Speaker Not to Attend Officer Funerals

The city's police union is asking Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito not to attend funerals of NYPD officers killed in the line of duty, saying the pair doesn't "support and respect" police.

A petition letter, shown below, was sent to the mayor's office Friday, the Patrolman's Benevolent Association confirmed.

The petition, titled “Don’t Insult My Sacrifice,” reads in part:

“Due to Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito's consistent refusal to show police officers the support and respect they deserve, I believe that their attendance at the funeral of a fallen New York City police officer is an insult to that officer's memory and sacrifice.”

The PBA has criticized city lawmakers after some council members have come out against a recent grand jury decision not to indict an NYPD officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed man.

Earlier this week, council members said they would ask the city's new police watchdog to investigate how the NYPD tracks abuse complaints against officers. The city's Civilian Complaint Review Board will also create community outreach offices across the city so New Yorkers can file complaints about police conduct.

PBA President Pat Lynch has issued a statement lambasting the city council's decisions and calling their rhetoric "double talk."

"They praise police with words and then take actions that clearly demonstrate their true lack of support for the very people who protect them and make their communities safe," Lynch has said.

Meanwhile, spokesmen for the mayor and speaker criticized the PBA's petition, calling it divisive and incendiary.

“This is deeply disappointing,” says the joint statement from spokesmen Phil Walzak and Eric Koch. “Incendiary rhetoric like this serves only to divide the city, and New Yorkers reject these tactics. The mayor and the speaker both know better than to think this inappropriate stunt represents the views of the majority of police officers and their families.” 

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